How China's Largest Coffee Chain Surpassed Starbucks
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ค. 2024
- Analysis of Luckin Coffee's extraordinary comeback from its accounting scandal and how it subsequently surpassed Starbucks as China's largest coffee chain.
Despite only being around for a few years, Luckin already has already overtaken Starbucks as the largest coffee chain in China. This is incredibly impressive considering how Luckin was established 18 years after Starbucks first entered China, but even more so given Luckin’s dramatic downfall after its accounting fraud scandal was exposed back in 2020, which subsequently wiped out 97% of its stock value and sent the then highly unprofitable company into bankruptcy. Remarkably, it only took Luckin 3 years to turn its business around, posting full year profits for the first time for 2022.
Luckin Coffee’s turnaround has been called a “business miracle” by those familiar with the situation. In this video, we will uncover the factors behind its miraculous turnaround and compare its business strategy with Starbucks, to understand how Luckin was able to comeback from bankruptcy and surpass Starbucks as China’s largest coffee chain.
Sources & footnotes:
docs.google.com/document/d/1v...
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Problem with Luckin's Original Strategy
04:22 Framework for Analysing Luckin's New Strategy
04:51 Cost Reduction
06:42 Product Innovation
10:11 Marketing Strategy
12:47 Franchising Business Model
16:28 Pandemic Effects
17:58 Conclusion
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The depth of information, the casual way you talk, the general story you build, its genius content. Really, for me personally, I would just be unable to analyze this good.(but I got other skills)
Thank you very much for the kind and supportive comments! Really makes my day - hope you enjoyed the video and found the analysis insightful!
luckin coffee also got delisted on sp500 and international exchange commission because this chinese company ripoff of starbucks faked its profit data and its current value is inflated
Yeah, other skills *wink wink*
yea I was thinking the same, really well explained, informative and entertaining 💯
Who cares dude ( about what you can do or Don't)
This is a really good video! Don’t despair from the low view count, please keep making them!
Ps: consider adding chapters going foward
P.P.S: videos on Chinese businesses in particular are quite interesting as it fills a niche most other “business” channels don’t
Edit: chapters work now, nice!
Thank you very much for your support and the constructive comments, I only just saw your comment as it was being held for review by TH-cam for some reason!
Yes I'll definitely be making more videos of Chinese businesses in the future. Though the plan at the moment is to make videos of businesses from anywhere in the world - as long as the topic itself is interesting (to most people hopefully)!
Thanks once again and hope to see your feedback again in future videos.
Agreed. Actually all of Asia. Some very interesting companies that have dominated western giants.
Please forego chapters. You’ve got something unique going here. It’s a seamless marathon where you can rewind 10 seconds if you miss anything
I've covered a few Chinese businesses and Businessmen! Asianometry does some great work too. But agree, and underserved niche
@@theartofbizChi Na is 💩
You initially caught my attention with a business video discussing Starbucks' competitor (which was new to me), and you managed to engage me further with your dynamic and captivating style of presenting it. Surprisingly, I find myself captivated after just two videos. Kudos to you! Thanks for the fantastic content!
Thanks so much Gage! It's a real pleasure for me to read comments like these. I'm super glad that you've enjoyed both videos, hopefully see you again in the 3rd one ;)
I never went to Luckin while I was living in China, I stuck to smaller places with only 1-2 locations. The advertising in our elevators at work is still stuck in my head years later. Excellent video, keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing! I can imagine the lack of appeal of both Luckin's brand and drinks back in the days. I wonder if you would've given Luckin a shot had you continued to stay in China!
@@theartofbiz I think OP wanted to support local coffeshops with better (obviously) quality drinks.
Interesting writeup on Luckin. Given its recent expansion overseas into Singapore, it will be interesting to see if Luckin's winning formula can scale outside of its home territory in China. Singapore is a nation of heavy coffee drinkers, but is also a highly competitive market and the graveyard of many international coffee chains. Not only will it face competition from foreign franchises (Starbucks, Coffee Bean) and homegrown franchises (Ya Kun, Killiney), there are also mom-and-pop stalls around every corner with good and cheap coffee a quarter of the price at Starbucks.
I'm not a coffee lover but I am totally addicted to Starbucks Cappuccino. I've tried Luckin's cappuccino at Aperia Mall once, but it's the last time for me too... 😝
sadly they did not retain the winning formulae here. It cost the same as Starbucks in SG
nobody really goes there in Singapore
Yes, I’m from Singapore but have never heard of Luckin till this vid, however, I’m also not a coffee drinker.
Edit: I went to check and I now know why, there is only 1 Luckin store in the west at Westgate shopping mall, that’s why it’s less well known
@@itsamazing101 there is one at Tampines 1 mall too!
Not a coffee drinker, but it’s always a pleasure to read about a business who sticks to the core fundamentals of making a great product at an affordable price and prosper for it. I also enjoy your straightforward, no nonsense style of presentation. Consider me subscribed. 🙂
their marketing was actually genius:
- got Starbuck's attention by claiming they have better profits than them
- doubled down on the fake claim scandal just to get the public's attention drama
- started working solely for profits, reformed their menu, then make a new legit claim after success.
- public opinion skyrocketed due to redemption.
they basically planned the drama then their own upbringing which is genius considering they did not defame starbucks along the way.
As a foreigner living in China, I can personally say Luckin is awesome, they still do ¥9.9 coffee on weekly basis. Yea they have a lot of different types of coffee too, but some of them generally horrible, the lasted "iced coconut" coffee drink they sold tasted like they added menthol. Also their watermelon latte tasted like it was made from strawberry milk
Thank you for sharing! Out of curiosity, how often do you choose to order from Luckin when ordering coffee? And what prompt you to order from them as opposed to other coffee shops?
I would say 9/10 times I would get Luckin. @@theartofbiz Because the price is low and they always have coupons or discounts, it's usually around ¥13-15 for any type of coffee and the quality is good. Big international coffee brands are 3x the price and have less locations. Luckin is everywhere, I never have to go out of way to find one, and ordering via smartphone is easy.
9.9 yen, like 7 usd cents?
@@petersv Don't convert, try to think from the income levels the average people have. So try to find median income. 9.9 yen is still overpriced. Aka just make it yourself.
@@petersv9.9 yuan not yen lol
Very informational video. Just my 2 cents tho - IMO relying on franchisees for expansion can be a double-edged sword. While Starbucks' method of expansion is slow, it guarantees that all their stores are up to standard and offer the same experience wherever they are. With franchisees, it's often a coin toss. This represents a higher risk to Luckin's branding, especially if Luckin relies on younger consumers and social media. If a few franchisee stores fail to keep up to standard, word can spread quickly and ruin the entire chain's brand image.
Thanks very much and I couldn't agree more. Would just like to add that I think in Luckin's case - since they're positioned as mid to low tier coffee given the price, consumer's tolerance for lower "standards" from Luckin might be greater than that for Starbucks. So if Luckin messes up once or twice, consumers might be fine with it - but they may not be as forgiving with Starbucks when they're paying a lot extra. This might also explain why Starbucks opted to stop franchsing and go fully operated in China - it reduces the risk that you mentioned, which is asymmetrically higher for them than for Luckin.
But this higher risk higher reward dynamic with franchising is real for sure, thanks for bringing this up and sharing with us!
i mean, what they are doing is aggressivly trying to expand on every region and city and subcity, etc...
it's like cereal on shelves at a store, usually one company will buy every other company out and thus have no to very small competition.
Expanding into every corner reduces their tax at the end of the year, they are also renting the places as far as i've read on their papers, so in case something goes bust and they lose sales, they can opt out after the lease ends, but with dirt cheap coffee i doubt that will ever happen.
having every citizen entangled with their brand and marketing scheme, it allows them to acquire new or already exsisting customer who will do either new transaction and gurantees them sells over long period of time.
it's easier to sell, when all you see is their brand on every corner, you wish for a coffee and you say >>ahh, here it is, luckin! Lemme get a cup of coffee
i think starbucks could potentially own the place with their money, and as an owner of the property they will get their money back, as every year real estate increases in price, so they might be fine with that too. I dont think luckin could buy something with 1000 stores every 3 months, they wrote they have 500M$ on hand that's about it, and i doubt anything can be bought below 500K-1M, so they rent.
This channel and Modern MBA make great business essays. Hopefully you can keep it up and I get to enjoy great content. Thanks for this!
Thank you very much. I'm a big fan of Modern MBA as well - he's the best. Glad you enjoyed this video and hope to see you again in future videos ;)
First video I've watched and I feel like I've just found a goldmine of information summarized in a thorough yet concise manner. What an amazing channel, keep up the good work!
Thank you very much! Hope you were able to learn something from this video :)
What a great first video. I'm glad to've stumbled upon your channel when it only had 1600 subs. Can't wait to see where this channel goes.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it - hope to continue seeing you in future videos!
Oh wow. I was just listening to the video while doing some housework and didn't particularly look at number when clicking on it, so I was surprised to see that you are a fairly small channel! Very well put together!
Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
Thank you for watching my first ever video! If you're interested in some of the research behind this video, here's a copy of the video transcript along with the relevant sources/references. Hope it can be useful to you.
docs.google.com/document/d/1v3Gx_sFueMV0O5TE2X6Hn5kgQ-W9G52C/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105845290081458110690&rtpof=true&sd=true
Incredibly surprised you have only 10k subscribers with such high-quality videos already! Love this and your spotify video.
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed both videos!
Great analysis and video. I knew Luckin failed a few years ago but had no idea how well the turnaround was engineered. The management had some great strategies and some luck, with the celebrity endorsement & ironically, pandemic.
Just subscribed. I love watching business analysis videos like this. Keep up the good work 😊
Thanks for watching! Glad you like this style of content!
quality of this video reminded me of reading havard business school's business case study! easy to understand while extremely insightful. welldone!
Thank you very much!
I stumbled upon your video as I was scrolling on what to watch. You did an amazing job telling all the points needed to be said. I hope you will get much attention.
Thank you very much!
I can’t believe you have 3.2 k subscribers! That’s insanely low for this kind of content! This is genuinely amazing!!! I’ve been struggling to find good content on here lately, you are the best!
Thank you so much for the supportive comment! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you enjoyed the video. There will be more content coming out in the future so keep an eye out for them ;)
I like how the conclusion is crafted, simple and yet impactful
Wow, I can already tell that this channel will be very successful one day! The information was very understandable and the explanation extremely well. You just earned a new subscriber! Keep up the good work :)
Thank you very much! Hope to see you again in future videos :)
I watched both of your videos, you’re incredible! I hope this channel grows so you can make more videos for me to binge.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed both of my videos - more to come in the future ;)
As a ABC who spent 3 months in China and I gotta say I much prefer the taste of Luckin compared to Starbucks tho nothing beats homemade espresso. But their drinks are more hit or miss with how experimental they try to be with their coffee drinks. I have dranked some excellent ones like jasmine tea flavoring and some that I found inedible due to the odd flavorings they paired with coffee. I can still finish starbucks drinks that weren't to my taste but not with some Luckin drinks. You're right that they adapted their drinks to the chinese youth demographic, instead of Starbucks on college campuses its Luckin on Chinese college campuses. Starbucks is still popular since its still seen as a upscale cafe to chill for salaryworkers.
i cant finish some of starbucks's coffees, not because of the taste, but because of the amount of sugar they have. I cant finish medium or larger sized Chai Latte, it's just goes to trash bin.
Thank you for this informative video. One thing I realize is how strategies that seem so basic can still be groundbreaking. The menu innovation works because the scale that Luckin Coffee has to make it widespread. The brand presenter is probably their biggest stroke of luck, but they did pick a unique figure to represent the brand instead of hiring the biggest celebrity. Their franchising approach reduce their risk in expansion (while might not be quality assurance).
Consider adding chapters & flash-cards to separate them + investing more time in music/sound effects for the video - it will boost this already amazingly presented content to new heights due to how TH-cams algorithm works
Thank you for the feedback, will definitely consider adding in music in the future to make it less dry. I thought I have added chapters - are you not able to see them?
Brilliant analysis! Never knew they had such an amazing rebound story, really appreciate your video! Subbed!
Thank you very much!
Love your channel. You and Modern MBA are fantastic quality.
What can I say that hasn't been said already? watched both videos back to back, and now I'm subscribed. Continue the hard work, I can see it paying it off for you, maybe even sooner than you expect.
Thank you very much, I'm very glad you enjoyed my videos - seeing comments like these make my day :)
Great video! I viewed this after your spotify analysis. Im excited for your next video; this channel is definitely one to keep an eye on!
Thank you very much, I really appreciate it and looking forward to seeing you in future videos :) Cheers.
I love your breakdown. Keep making company case studies for me to learn! Thanks!
Appreciate it and thanks for watching!
Thank you for this clip. Excellent job.
Thanks for watching!
Was listenning to this in one go and the whole thing is so well structured and informative. Thinking in my head I must leave a good review and seems like you already received many :) I'm not a lone :) Keep up the good work!!!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching :)
Appreciate the efforts on the in-depth research! Love the HK British accent
Just came across your channel and I’m a fan! Will watch the Spotify video as soon as this is down.
Thanks for watching!
I visited china a couple month ago! Luckin really catch my attention y'kow. I also a heavy coffee drinker, i oder their crysantinum latte! It's not the best latte i ever drink but it had intresting taste! What shock me is all thier staff so friendly for foreigner that can't speak chinise and didn't have wechatpay. The staff help me order by using her phone!❤ That is just the best experience ever!
Keep up the good work! We're all waiting for your next video!
Thanks for watching! Just released the next one about Lululemon, do check it out if you can - cheers!
Dope video, I am really happy I found your channel, keep it up!
Thanks for watching!
Subscribed. This content is great. I feel like your channel is on the way up 👍
Thank you very much! Hope to see you again in future videos
How does this channel only got 800 subs? This is top notch content
Thank you for the support!
Watching Art of Business videos is like going to Harvard Business School for your MBA. Its becoming a regular part of my routine and really helps me increase my business acumen. Looking forward to the next one so please keep it up! 👍🏽
Thank you very much! I'm glad you find my videos insightful and educational, hope to see you again in future videos ;)
Wow great analysis!
As someone else said, you should focus on big Chinese brands, especially ones that have grown tremendously in the past few years. It’s a great niche that other Western channels don’t cover as well, especially if you compare them to well known Western brands. Some good new topics could be Huawei vs Apple in China or BYD vs Tesla. Keep it up!
So cool! Luckin started expanding into Singapore and I thought they couldn't possibility turn a profit by selling coffee for a dollar each for new customers. This makes much more sense now
I just started on the Lululemon video, got hooked and finished all 3 in a single seating! Very insightful analyses on the business models. Would be cool if you could do one on Airbnb vs major hotel chains in future.
really informative, in-depth analysis. Well use of graphs, videos, illustrations to help make the story telling even better. Keep it up! Looking forward to your next video. You made my day
Thank you very much!
Such well made videos, appreciate the time you put into these!
There are few channels I'd say are worth a sub after one video, but this is definitely one of it. Excellent concise analysis.
Thank you very much! Really glad you enjoyed the analysis!
@@theartofbiz Since you have done Luckin, would love to see you research Mixue and their mysterious supply chain and low prices. That's also a wonder of the Chinese beverage market. They recently came to Thailand and is really killing it.
this is good content, pls make more of this, you just earned a new subscriber
Very well produced. I can see the parallels with Modern MBA's channel and presentation. Very good stuff I love.
But that "Failure" at 0:54 hits way harder than I expected. Almost thought Uncle Rogar was going to make a cameo.
Thanks very much, I'm a big fan of Modern MBA - his videos are great so I'm glad you can see parallels in our work!
Also, forgive my ignorance but Who's Uncle Rogar?
@@theartofbiz First reply isn't showing so I'll type again.
Uncle Roger is a TH-cam who often does cooking tutorial reviews for asian foods. It's in the same vein as "Emotional Damage" type of comedy.
@@DrKosmos Ahhh... hope I'm not as savage as he is ;)
Nice video! Always looking for more channels that cover topics like these!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching :)
Please keep this up, this is good content. Just came to your channel from the Spotify video but It sucked when i only saw 2 videos. Very well made. Please make more.
Thank you for this video. I've learned so much!
Where on earth did this channel came out from. Very good videos! Subscribed
Haha thank you very much!
Outstanding video content and very professional presentation. Also quite informative for Luckin and Starbucks investors. Well done!!
Thanks for watching, glad you found the video informative!
amazing content, very informative with actual data. keep up the great work
Very informative content and well constructed! Keep up the great work.
Personally I've stayed well away from Luckin as their business practice and the scandal really irks me and sums up the mass consumerism ideology in Shanghai.
Luckin really hit the jackpot by finding the sweet spot of catering to the masses who essentially do not enjoy coffee, but enjoys the ideals of coffee, mixed with the already incredibly mature industry of sweet tea beverages. It really is a winning formula.
I still can't helped but find it quite gross that as long as it's cheap consumers will look over any shady business practices.
such an interesting deep dive! keep it up!
Amazing content! Keep up the great work!
Thank you truly for this video. Such great explanation. 🙏
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 ☕ Luckin Coffee's Rollercoaster Ride
02:19 💰 Luckin's Unprofitable Pricing Strategy
04:06 🔄 Change in Strategy and Management
06:25 🚀 Revenue Growth through Innovation
09:14 📈 Successful Marketing and Branding
12:53 🏪 Franchising for Rapid Expansion
15:37 🦠 Pandemic's Differential Impact
Made with HARPA AI
Amazing first video keep it up brother
Thank you very much!
Excellent presentation with very informative content and analysis! Thank you!
Thank you very much, I'm really glad you enjoyed it and hope you found it insightful!
This is a gold mine channel
very high quality video! Keep up the good work!
Thanks very much! Hope you found the video insightful!
Very in depth video. I just subscribed. Keep it coming
Thanks very much!
This overview is AWESOME ❤
Thank you so much! I'm super glad you enjoyed the video :)
@@theartofbiz Yeah man, your Spotify video is killer too. Subbed +1
I like the business/economics/industry coverages
Love your video amazing analyse, hope for more in the future!
Glad you liked it, thanks for watching!
Excellent video, presentation is top notch. This turnaround will make a great b-school case study on how to turnaround a business by going back to the basics, instead of over financialization.
Thanks for watching, really appreciate it!
Thank you for this informative video! I like how it’s so comprehensive yet easy to digest even for business amateurs like meee 😍😍😍
Glad you liked it. Thanks for your support!
Wow that was a nice watch. The content is well thought out, even I feel as a customer it totally makes sense how they turned the business around. I guess investment in R&D is important in all areas that deal with products. When I buy something online it feels iffy just to buy one drink, so I always pick the one I usually drink and choose whatever new or I haven't tried yet.
The video quality and content was insanely good. great start if you ask me. insta subbed , i feel more good stuff is coming , this channel gonna blow up for sure
Thank you very much for the support! Hope to see you again in future videos ;)
Apart from its well executed strategy and brilliant inovation, I'm glad that you mention the "luck" factor such as hitting the right menu, pandemic, and signing star athlete that was unknown before.
They're lucky, but they're able to ride on the luck so well and now they're reaping the benefits
Keep up the video!
Really enjoyed it
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed the analysis and the video!
Thank you for a very well-made video. It was very informative, and the process of explaining was exceptional.
Thank you very much, I'm very glad you enjoyed the video :)
Luckin’s coffee is actually pretty damn good. U order from ur phone, collect later.
That coconut latte is actually crazy delicious
I hope people get to try it.
Here before this channel blows up. Great content!
Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!
Really cool content, keep up the good work!
This video really reminds me of how the local franchise in my country (Zus Coffee) were popping up like mushroom even during pandemic! I guess the founder follow the business model of Luckin (not 100% but partially). Interesting video!
This video is even better than the Spotify one 👍 great topic and excellent analysis
Thank you for the support and for watching both videos! Glad you enjoyed them. Hope to see you in the 3rd one ;)
Spectacular vid good job and looking forward to more!
Thank you! Really appreciate it and hope to see you again in future videos.
i like Luckin's minty coconut latte! never thought this combination would taste that good. good job new management
Very informative, high-quality video. Keep it up! 😊❤ subbed after the video ended!
Thank you very much!
This is such a high quality video I thought it was cold fusion’s
Kudos to you. Great video!👍
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching :)
Amazing video, subscribed.
New subscriber here. Really interesting content and i was recommended this video by a friend. Cheers for the good work🎉
🎉 Keep it up! Your video is highly valuable & exciting! Great
Thank you very much, really glad you enjoyed the video!
i cant believe this video only has 20k views keep up the good work
Thank you very much!
Excellent work ❤ thanks for the effort
Thank you very much, hope you found the video interesting and informative!
I really love your videos. Please keep it going ❤
Thank you very much for the support, I really appreciate it!
Amazing quality content, I subbed :D
Thank you!
Awesome! so much value per minute. Epic
Very good video! Learnt a lot. Keep it up :) Subscribed!
Thank you very much!
Incredible analysis. Wow!
Hope you enjoyed the video and found it insightful! Thanks for watching :)
I Purchased hundreds of shares of Luckin when it was at the bottom during the fraud outcome... months later I sold it all but one share and made 120 bucks. Today that one share has a return rate of 1808.4%. Or why did I sell..... Great video...thanks.
This is fantastic！I hope you can post more China-focused content。
I‘ve subscribed and look forward to it。
I love Luckin coffee! it came a long way and can be proud of its journal.
Kept me engaged the whole way. Great video.
Thank you for watching!
This video made so well , i learned a lot ! 🎉
Thank you very much! Glad you were able to learn something from this!
This is an entire thesis 👍💪🏽
Nice video bro!
damn nice video mate! keen to see more
Thanks for watching!